A Freshman Girl's Guide to College Formals

It is a dance after all. Show off your hottest moves and have a good time dancing with your date. Sarah, a collegiette from the University of Michigan, offers a word of caution: “Be careful dancing in your heels because the floors can get slippery if people spill their drinks.”DON’T cause drama.

No one wants to start a battle of the sororities. Who cares if you’re in Sigma Kappa and the rest of the guy’s dates are in Alpha Phi? Leave the catty drama at the door and learn to be civil with one another. Unless you’re like Jenny*, a junior at Florida State University who left her date to go to the bathroom and came back to find him making out with another girl.

DO stay with your date.

If you come with a date, you should leave with the same date. “I went with this great guy to his formal and we were really hitting it off, and then he got too drunk and decided to leave. I later found out he’d ditched me to go to another sorority’s date party that was happening at a nearby club,” says Karen*, a junior at UCLA. That’s just rude and uncalled for—if you have no desire to be a certain someone’s date for the night, just say no in the first place.

DON’T get freaky on the bus.

We’re talking about super sloppy PDA right in front of everyone. “No one wants to see that stuff,” says Ally, an Alpha Phi sister at the University of Michigan. “It’s kind of a given that you and your date will make out at some point in the night,” says Michelle*, a sophomore at SVSU. But you should at least keep it in check until you get home.

DO make post-formal plans.

It’s going to be a late night, but don’t feel forced to sleep at your date’s place. As soon as you return to campus, he’ll probably invite you back to his frat house or apartment for “after-party drinks” or to chill and watch a movie, but if you’re tired or feel uncomfortable you don’t have to partake. “Freshman year, I made the mistake of not setting up a ride. By the time we got back, the bus back to my dorm had already stopped running for the night so I got stuck sleeping at my date’s place,” says Kylie*, a junior at the University of Michigan. Don’t let your date drive you home if he’s been drinking. Instead, call a cab or have a trusted friend pick you up.

Follow our foolproof guide and have a fabulous time at formal. We’d love to hear your own dos and don’ts for this big college event, so share away collegiettes!

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About The Author

Erica Avesian is a successful young professional in the marketing industry. In her current role, she plans and executes high-end events and marketing projects for a variety of luxury and automotive clients. Erica has a Bachelor of Arts Degree from the University of Michigan with specializations in Communication Studies and Writing. She is an experienced writer who loves blogging about her personal experiences as a college girl and writing how-to guides for recent grads. When she's not writing, you can find her styling outfits for her best friends, traveling with her family, and hanging out at her happy place, Starbucks. Erica is obsessed with fashion magazines, Disney, and the color pink. In the future Erica would love to start her own online publication or be the next hit talk show host.